america's neck. the super committee is supposed to be open about it, but they're keeping the public in the dark. stand by. rick perry is plunging in the polls, but piling up lots of cash. can a surge in contributions put his campaign back on track? president obama is being compared to a camilellia for hi abilities. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." the clock is ticking on the urgent mission of the so-called super committee. a dozen lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are supposed to save more tran a trillion from the deficit and help save america from even plor serious economic problems. they said they'd be open about their work and give the public a chance to be heard. but they've been staying very much behind closed doors and keeping the public very much in

the dark. our congressional correspondent kate bolduan is on capitol hill looking into the story. kate, what's going only here? this was not supposed to be like this. >> reporter: hey there, wolf. i'm standing out front as people are passing by. behind me is this nondescript room. this is where the super committee will meet again this evening behind closed doors which has some government watchers, since this committee has such a huge job before them, some government watchers are calling this approach troubling. >> good morning. >> reporter: the so-called super committee began its work with a promise of transparency. >> i believe the american people deserve to have full access to committee business the way they do with every committee here in congress. >> there will be ample opportunities for the public to have their opinions heard. >> reporter: but with just seven weeks before their thanksgiving deadline, the committee has met in public only three times. the 12 members meeting more

often in private and offering almost no detail on any progress they're making. >> we've just decided to let our -- co-chair speak for us. >> make progress. >> reporter: the closed-door meetings have government watch dog groups up in arms, accusing them of inappropriate secrecy. >> transparency is especially important for the super committee because they have far more power than any other committee has. >> reporter: john wunderlich is with the sunlight foundation, more than one of a dozen groups calling on the super committee to open up, saying members should also disclose campaign contributions and any contact with lobbyists. >> we think the amount of power that the super committee has been given should come with some disclosure and transparency that's at least equal to that, especially if they're going to be fund-raising and meeting with lobbyists at the same time. >> reporter: but jim manly, former aide to harry reid, says getting behind closed doors may be the only way to get anything

done. look no further than this summer's debt ceiling fiasco. >> aides immediately ran out and gave a blow-by-blow description almost in rhee time to reporters. i don't think that was helpful to the process. >> manly suggests that less talk could actually be a sign of good progress. >> after all, every vote they take is going to be in public under the eyes of c-span and cnn. if that's not accountability, i don't know what is. >> reporter: wolf, i will tell you just a short time ago as we were speaking, members of the super committee began to walk beside of us. none of them decided to stop to speak to cnn about this committee meeting. i will tell you to the point jim manley was making in our piece, an aide to a member assures that the committee will continue to have public hearings and meetings, as well as public votes, but members feel very strongly that the best way, the

only way that they think they'll be able to reach bipartisan agreement in this hyper partisan environment in this short period of time is getting away tr the spotlight and being able to have private conversations about how to reach this very difficult compromise. >> that's the dilemma. they always promise c-span cameras will be in all of the hearings, the american public will have full access, whether energy, health care, energy in earlier administrations. then they go behind closed doors and people complain. that's the nature of washington. things haven't changed that much. kate, thank you very much. jack cafferty has news in the cafferty file. the lobbyists have access, don't they? >> money talks, jack and you and i know that. >> absolutely disgraceful. black walnut isn't the flavor of the week. it's the best quote of the campaign so far from republican presidential canned can't herman cain. he's talking about his own surge

in the polls. as cain sees it, he might just be the second black president of these united states. several new national new polls show cain closing the gap with front-runner mitt romney while texas governor rick perry goes right off a cliff. in one poll, cain is even tied for first place with romney. just this hour, cnn is out with our first poll of polls on the 2012 republican horse race. it shows romney at the top of the pack with 20%. he's followed closely by cain's 17%. rick perry who was briefly the gop front runner is now third at 15%. the rest of the candidates are all in single digits. cain, who has picked up steam since his surprise victory in the florida straw poll is laying out his bath to victory. he told abc news his goal is to finish in the top three in iowa and new hampshire and then win in south carolina and florida. it might happen. meanwhile, as cain gets stronger, president obama is

getting weaker. a new "washington post"/abc news poll shows four in ten americans strongly disz approve of how mr. obama is handling his job. that is a record high. the poll also shows 43% of independents, 47% of seniors strongly disapprove of president obama's handling of his job. you cannot win re-election with numbers like that. even many democrats aren't supporting the president. look at congress. harry reid just blocked a vote on the president's jobs bill in the senate because the democrats don't have the votes to pass it. so here is the question. how likely do you think it is that the united states would elect two black presidents in a row? go to cnn come/caffertyfile and post a comment on my blog or go to the situation's facebook page. >> a great question, jack. we'll see what our viewers think about it. newt gingrich will join us live in the next hour here in "the situation room." a lot more politics coming up. meanwhile, rick perry may be

plunging in the polls, but certainly piling up the campaign cash. can all that fund-raising raise his standing among fellow republicans? let's bring in jim acosta covering this part of the story for us. what are you learning? >> as jack mentioned, the horse race turned into a three-way battle between romney, perry and cain. while perry's numbers have softened since orlando, his fund-raising abilities have not. take a look at this. the perry campaigned released third quarter fund-raising numbers. the texas governor raised $17 million according to his campaign. you may be wondering if the money dried up after perry's shaky performance at the orlando debate. apparently not. when asked to elaborate on its third quarter numbers and specifically provide a breakdown of what was raised before and after the debate, here is what the campaign told us. in the 41 days before that debate, perry raised $323,000. in the nine days after the debate, look at that, $478,000.

that may explain why the perry campaign is not really worried right now. they don't think they're going off a cliff right now. >> what about mitt romney and herman cain? >> they made provocative statements on the campaign trail. there's a theme emerges for the 2012 campaign, wolf, it may be class warfare. listen what herman cain said in the "wall street journal" about the occupied wall street protesters. he all but told them "get a life." >> i don't have facts to back this up. i happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the obama administration. don't blame wall street. don't blame the big banks. if you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself. >> now, mitt romney also knows the voters are angry about the economy right now. so heated rhetoric is still playing on the campaign trail.

listen what romney said to about the president to a crowd in tallahassee earlier today. >> this week the president, he said to the american people he's a warrior for the middle class. if that's the case, i think there's been a severe case of friendly fire because he has not done what the middle class of america needs to have a prosperous and bright future. >> there you go, accusing the president of friendly fire on the middle class. wolf, that is just a taste of what's to come. all the candidates are just getting warmed up for their next face-off. another gop debate set for new hampshire on tuesday. it could be a chance for rick perry to redeem himself after the shaky performance in orlando. >> we'll be heading to vegas on october 18th for the next cnn republican presidential debate. >> and it will start all over again. >> even worse than losing your home to foreclosure is having the bank sue you afterward. guess what? it's happening to a growing number of people all across the

country. we'll meet one of them. stand by. information you need to know. plus a manhunt after a deadly workplace shooting in california. we're learning new details right now. the postal service is critical to our economy--

delivering mail, medicine and packages. yet they're closing thousands of offices, slashing service, and want to lay off over 100,000 workers. the postal service is recording financial losses, but not for reasons you might think. the problem ? a burden no other agency or company bears. a 2006 law that drains 5 billion a year from post-office revenue while the postal service is forced to overpay billions more into federal accounts. congress created this problem, and congress can fix it.

you saw the numbers, dow jones industrial average up 131 points. the markets just closing. banks are fighting back against reform efforts by imposing new fees on cust mirs. you heard about bank of america charging $5 a month to use a debit card, citibank charging $15 a month for balances under $6,000. last night on our new show called "out front," erin burnett asked timothy geithner about this. >> banks are blaming the banks including what they've been charged of causing. most people are angry and frustrated with that. >> speaking of frustrated. get this, you can't pay your mortgage.

the bank takes your home and then the bank sues you for the balance. it's happening a lot right now out across the country. lisa sylvester is looking into this part of the story for us. what are you seeing here, lisa? >> hi there, wolf. here are the ten states with thighest foreclosure states, arizona, nevada, california and georgia. most of the states allow the banks to sue the borrowers even after the lender has foreclosed on the home. that is exactly what happened to one florida man who bought his house in 2005 near the peak of the housing bubble. there's been a lot of upheaval in ray's life. he and his wife divorced. he couldn't make the payments on his orlando home alone. the bank foreclosed. now he's being sued by his former mortgage company. >> what more do they want from me? they've already taken the home, resold it. now they're getting less money on the side. now they want to recoup on me?

>> reporter: a growing number of troubled homeowners are not only losing their homes but facing lawsuits. it's something called a deficiency judgment. in ray's case the bank loaned him $188,000 but only got $110,000 for the sale of the foreclosed home. filero is now being sued for the difference, $78,000. more than 30 states allow the bank to sue the homeowner when the lender recoups less on the foreclosure or short sale. for years banks didn't pursue homeowners in most cases, but that's changing because of the sheer volume of foreclosures. >> most likely the bank isn't going to be the one doing it, what they'll do is sell it to a third party debt collector who is in the business of collecting debt. they'll try to collect as much as he can. >> reporter: ceo of really track says banks are more likely to go after people who borrowed for a second home, a vacation home or

investment property. >> where people who may have other assets are saying, you know what? take the property back. i'll go on with my life. you keep the obligation. in that instance i believe the banks have a right to receive some money if the borrower has it. >> but in ray filero's case, this was his primary home. he says he tried working with his lender to save it but walked away from the house he thought would be the end of it. but it didn't work out that way. he has now hired a lawyer to help fight the lawsuit. a key thing for homeowners who may be in a foreclosure or short sale situation, it is very important, very important to get a release from the bank clearing the borrower of any obligations to pay under the promissory note. if not, then the bank or dealt collector can come back and pursue the difference even after the house is long gone. >> a growing venom no all across

the country f. you see the house foreclosed, make sure you get the statement saying they won't sue you down the road. >> very important. they have to get the release from the promissory note. >> thanks very much, lisa for that. while anger is similar herring in this country, it's oiling over once again in greece. at least 10,000 marchers shut down the center of athens today protesting the latest wave of government belt-tightening. also a government closing ministries, schools and the athens airport as well. public sector workers say they've already suffered accounts amounting to 40% of their take-home pay. brack back to our lead story. she's in sec collusion after her dramatic homecoming. what's amanda knox doing now that her murder conviction is overturned. her american attorney is here in

"the situation room." we have details of her newly found freedom. how she's enjoying her first full day in the united states. look, every day we're using more and more energy.

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the world watched her emotional homecoming to seattle after her murder conviction was overturned in italy. now amanda knox basically in solution with her family and friends. we're about to hear from her attorney as well to find out what she's doing right now. this is her last night. >> they're reminding me to speak in english because i'm having problems with that. i'm really overwhelmed right now. i was looking down from the airplane and it seemed like everything wasn't real. what's important for me to say is just thank you to everyone who has believed in me, whose defended me, who's supported my

fami family. i just want my -- my family is the most important thing to me right now. i just want to go be with me. so thank you for being there for me. [ cheers and applause ] >> joining us from seattle, theodore simon, the american attorney representing amanda knox. ted, thank you for coming in. all our viewers in united states and around the world want to know, first of all, how is amanda doing? >> she is doing -- i'm happy to say, she's doing remarkably well. we were fortunate enough to make arrangements to be able to see her in private as she deplaned. we had an opportunity to speak with her. it was a very warm embrace that she gave me. she hugged her father even though her father traveled with her, he was not sitting with her. they had a real emotional moment. then we provided her the opportunity whether or not she wanted to speak to the masses

and throngs of photographers and camera men outside. despite the fact she was very tired and certainly worn, wanted to express her thanks and appreciation and gratefulness for all those people in seattle and around the world that supported her, recognized her innocence and supported her family. so she came out and delivered a beautiful, beautiful statement. >> now that she's a free woman in seattle, back in the united states, what is she doing? i know she's had quality time with her family and friends, but what's going through her mind? >> well, that's exactly what happened. she expressed in her statement that the most important thing was to spend meaningful time with her family. that's exactly what happened after the press conference. we all left. we were able to arrive at a location that was filled with friends and family members and it was just a beautiful evening to watch them interact.

it was very clear in watching her interact with her family what a kind and sweet and generous person she really is. she's joyful, she's youthful, but she's also very thoughtful. and it was more about other people rather than about amanda. she was much more interested in hearing how everyone else was and interacting with everyone. it was almost as if she had not lost a step. she played with her younger cousins. and you can just see how sweet she is to everyone. once you start realizing the type of person she is, it becomes even more apparent, how ridiculous, how fanciful these charges were. we already know there was no physical evidence. that's already proven. we already understand what a wrongful conviction this was. but once america starts seeing, and hopefully at some point they will, the type of person that amanda is, it's going to be so

obvious that this was a total i'm possibility. >> how is her family doing? >> her family is doing quite well. i mean they have devoted themselves in an unparalleled way. that's probably one of the most important things in this case as to why she presents as seeming as healthy as she is. let's keep in mind she was able to call her family once a week on a weekend and she was able to communicate and remain up to date on what was going on in everyone's life. and even more importantly, this family in an incredible amount of devotion, always had a family member present for the entire four years in italy that would visit as they were permitted to visit. so she was always in touch. she was never abandoned, and i think this was very important for her. i think it was ex-treechlly important for her. of course, she took care of

herself in prison. she read and the like. i would say i think that continuous contact from family members and that worldwide support was very critical, not only to the result in the case, but really critical to her mental health and welfare. >> do you know if she wants to have a relationship with meredith kercher's family, the murder victim in this case, her roommate? has she reached out to the kercher family as far as you know? >> let's keep in mind, and as we expressed in the press conference, it's very important to keep in mind that meredith was amanda's friend, and it was very important for amanda, as well azam man da's family, for everyone, the rest of the world to continue to remember meredith and keep the kercher family in their prayers.

this was very important to them. it was always hard to express when the case was going on, although when asked, they did. let's be clear, that is very important to them. >> you're the american attorney representing amanda knox. how worried are you that potentially the prosecution in italy could win if they take this, as they say they will, before the supreme court in italy? >> we're certainly expecting them to take an appeal to the highest court, but we're not that concerned, although we don't want to prejudge the outcome. let's be clear. in italy in the first stage of the appellate process it is unlike united states procedure. the appellate court in italy and the one she was in front of which is an appellate jury has the power to evaluate whether or not there were errors of law as well as to reopen and redetermine facts. that is what happened in this case. they reopened and redetermined facts and found them in favor of

amanda, and that's why this wrongful conviction was overturned. however, as to the further appeal, the appeal to the highest court in italy, that court has a much narrower scope of review. and what that means is, the only question will be whether or not there were errors of law. and we don't believe there were any errors of law. the supreme court does not reopen, re-evaluate or redetermine facts as has just happened. so it's because of that legal difference that we feel fairly confident. however, we would never prejudge a matter. legally speaking, we're generally feeling good about it. >> under the very unlikely scenario that they would overturn the decision and actually seek her extra decision from the united states, is it at all possible the u.s. would comply with an expedition order from italy along those lines? >> i think that's a classic putting the cart before the

horse. expedition proceedings are complicated. we've had long experience with them, but i don't think we necessarily even have to start discussing these complicated issues at this time. that's not to avoid the question or avoid answering it. it really is based upon reall. the reality is there has been a stunning reversal of the critical facts in this case. there's a patent absence of any fact that supports a conviction for murder. this appellate jury determined that. they corrected, boldly, courageously overturned this wrongful conviction, and i think that aspect is final. we certainly hope so. we think we're on good legal ground. and if it should ever change, we'll deal with those issues at that time. >> ted simon, thanks very much for joining us. please pass along our best wishes to amanda, her entire family. we appreciate your joining us.

>> you're welcome, wolf. we'll speak in the next hour withdrew griffin in seattle getting information with what's going on there, first full day of amanda knox's freedom in the united states. meanwhile a manhunt is under way after a workplace shooting near san francisco. also new information about the person killed in the helicopter crash in new york's east river. you watched the story unfold live here 24 hours ago. ♪ and the flowers and the trees ♪ ♪ all laugh when you walk by ♪ and the neighbors' kids run and hide ♪ deep inside you, there's a person who refuses to be kept deep inside you. ♪ but you're not ♪ you're the one be true to yourself. what's healthier than that? i've tried it. but nothing's helped me beat my back pain.

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aspercreme breaks the grip, with maximum-strength medicine and no embarrassing odor. break the grip of pain with aspercreme. a manhunt is under way for the suspect? a deadly workplace shooting. lisa sylvester is monitoring that. what's going on out there. >> police say sharif al man opened fire. local news media are reporting three people dead and five injured. he's also suspected of shooting and injuring a woman in an

attempted carjacking shortly afterward. we want to update you on the breaking news we were following yesterday at this time, the crash of a helicopter in new york's east river. the woman who died is identified as sonia marra, a tourist from australian. authorities say marra was celebrating her 40th birthday. a key leader of the civil rights movement is dead. reverend fred shuttlesworth was instrumental in the fight against segregation in alabama and helped martin luther king junior found the southern christian leadership conference. reverend fred shuttlesworth was 89 years old. for the first time u.s. scientists have been able to clone human stem cells. the achievement is raising hope that patients could replace

their own damaged cells without risk of rejection. it remains controversial and the new milestone is likely to reheat that debate. issues appear in the "journal of nature." more debate over the whole issue of cloning. >> thanks very much lisa, for that. he came out swinging at the house republican leader with tough talk and an open challenge. is this the beginning of a tougher, newer president obama? what does mitt romney have to do to boost this campaign? is it a crucial moment for him right now. all that and a lot more. getting ready for our strategy session.

let's go right to our strategy session. joining us the democratic strategist david prince and the frum forum. i want you to listen to the president. he showed a new more assertive side in going after house majority leader eric cantor on this jobs bill. >> i'd like mr. kantor to come to dallas and explain what exactly in this jobs bill does he not believe in. what exactly is he opposed to?

>> jonathan, is this a new, tougher more assertive style that we're seeing from the president? >> i think what you're seeing is the natural transition from governing to the beginning of the campaign. people like to say -- there are a lot of truisms in politics. the problem is a lot of them aren't really true. people like to say elections with incumbents are always referendums. election with incumbents like every other election in the united states is about choices. as the campaign approaches and the choices join, you'll hear the president defining the vision the republicans are offering. it's not going to be them in their campaign that they've had the privilege and pleasure to wage for the last year or so. it's a natural inclination. >> still more than a year until november 2012, david. is it too early for the president to become campaigner in chief and get off the high road, if you will? >> yes. what is happening here is really discouraging and disappointing. that was a very aptly chosen clip you have.

of course, there is an answer to the president's question and he counts on it being embarrassing. what eric cantor and the republicans object to is not so much the way the jobs bill spends its money, but the way the jobs bill raises its money. it's the financing mechanism. they object to it because it was designed that way. the president isn't trying to get to yes, he's trying to get to no. as jonathan said, the object is about framing a clois. he wants to frame a choice in the most disadvantageous way possible. >> jonathan, is everyone here in washington, this is worrisome, going to get into politics and no real serious business is going to be done for the american people until after november 2012? >> serious business could be done. there are a lot of things in the president's jobs plan that we know republicans historically have agreed and been able to support. there's no reason not to get behind things. there are signs of small

progress, a willingness to move forward. but at the end of the day the president has a responsibility to define a choice for the american people. i lived through this with president clinton. same period of time, late fall as the primaries were getting going on the other side. the battle became joined over again a government shutdown at that time. ultimately the people were able to make their decision. the president's responsibility is ultimately at the end of the day, to do his best to govern for as long as he possibly can and continue governing but begin to shape the choice for the american people as you approach the election. if he doesn't shape the choice, he advocated -- >> the republican president introduced a bill for universal preschool. embedded in that a total ban on abortion and expressed puzzlement as to why democrats didn't rally to his universal preschool bill. >> that's not the case here. this. >> this is a poison pill, the

techs mechanism. the president could have said we will discuss the financing of it after the election. he made a choice. he made a choice about putting things into this, he knew republicans would say no because no is the answer he needs. >> david, just today the president -- senator reid went out there and suggested changing the funding mechanism to a tax on millionaires only. i believe the white house has already said there's an agreement in that. >> is that supposed to be a reputation of my thesis. no way to compare a ban on abortion and taxes on people making more than a million a year. >> that confirms my point. that's exactly the problem. they want to make this an election about tax increases for millionaires to pay for bridges and tunnels. you just took the lid off -- that's what it's about. >> it's a clois.

>> it's an abandonment and breach of faith. >> let me move on to a little republican presidential politics. i want both of you to listen to mitt romney really going after rick perry in florida on a sensitive issue, very sensitive issue, not only in florida but all across the country, social security. >> i think the major problem is social security is a ponzi scheme, i think the problem is keeping it from becoming a perry scheme. governor perry says it's unconstitutional and we should end it as a federal program and give it back to the states. >> all right. how big of a problem is this for rick perry, this latest line of attack, david, from mitt romney? >> it is the vulnerability that he repeated on national tv. republicans need to have this conversation now because if perry is the nominee, that's

what president obama will be saying in a few months. >> what do you think about this whole issue of social security, jonathan, coming up on the republican side right now? >> i'm in violent agreement with david on the subject. it is a self-imposed, self-inflicted problem, not one that will go away for governor perry. it's a kind of remarkable thing that the per reposition is so extreme that it's opened him up in a republican primary to an attack from the left. that's effective. >> guys, stand by. we'll continue this conversation down the road. i want our viewers to remember october 18, las vegas, that's when the next cnn republican presidential debate takes place, october 18th. just moments ago the co-chair of the so-called super committee on capitol hill, senator patty murray reacted to our story at the top of the hour about the committee's decision to meet behind closed doors and not allow the american people to see what's going on about their financial future. we'll show you what she had to

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we're getting some immediate reaction to our lead story this hour about the crucial deficit's so-called super committee, keeping the american people in the dark about its meetings. let's go back to our congressional correspondent kate bolduan. what's the reaction you're

getting? >> reporter: right after you and i finished speaking, senator patty murray, one of the co-chairs of the super committee as she was walking into the committee meeting right behind me, she stopped by to speak with us briefly which has really not happened in much length. they really have not spoken to reporters really at all since this committee really started in these meetings, and among other things, she answered to the criticism that this committee meeting behind closed doors so open is not being open and transparent enough in their negotiations. listen here to what she said. >> what do you say to the criticism from many that are watching this process who say this is not open enough, this is -- compared to the responsibility you have. >> everybody said if they would just get in a room by themselves, they would figure this out. we are very clear that whatever we -- however we get to this, lit be a very public process. it has to be. no votes can be taken w. very to make our decisions, our final

decisions in front of the public and we'll do that. i think it is important for us to be able to be open and honest with each other. i remember well one time when i was very little and i was fighting with my brother every other minute, my mother put us in a back room and said don't come out until you get it figured out. we stared at each other for a while but we came out friends. i am confident the public is watching us very closely to see if we can show this country the democracy can work. >> have republicans indicated everything is on the table on their side as well? >> thank you, senator. >> do that point you heard patty murray say that they want to show americans that democracy can work. an aide to one of the committee members has told me that really what's going on here is a very strong feeling, wolf, among committee members that in order -- the best way to

increase chances to reach a bipartisan agreement is getting away from the spotlight to have these kind of discussions. they're meeting behind closed doors still today. we're outside. >> seven weeks to do their job. let's see if they can do it. thanks for that. back to jack for the cafferty file. >> the question this hour is how likely do you think it is that the united states would elect two black presidents in a row? ted in pennsylvania writes not probable, maybe about 30%. cain would make a good vice president though. herman cain has some pretty good ideas and he has management experience. ken in connecticut writes, i'd love to see herman cain get elected, by far the most impressive resume of the republican candidates, and i like his 999 plan for rewriting the tax code oopsz. he also has the will to get things done in washington. i hope people will listen to what he's saying. w.d. writes, when hell freezes over. i'm black and the country has lost its mind. the republicans are pretending this isn't racism.

please. john in north carolina writes not very likely because liberals are threatened by female or minority conservatives and will do everything possible to destroy them. think sarah palin or clarence thomas. floyd in georgia writes, very easy, alabama and alabama. larry in ohio it's not likely. that's too bad. herman cain would be such a big improvement over the present occupant of the white house. darrell on facebook says i don't know, but i'd giggle silly watching texas, arkansas and mississippi go to the polls with two black men on the ballot. renee rights, about as likely as president obama's jobs bill is to pass the house. thomas in forns hills, pennsylvania, about as likely as me hitting the library. if i hit it, jack, i'll cut you in. if you want to read more, gore to our blog or through our post on "the situation room's" facebook page. >> love that facebook page.

thanks very much. controversy and intrigue swirling around an upcoming presidential debate. we have details of drug charges, ethics allocations and more. stand by, new information coming in. wall street protesters are on the move right now in new york city. we're going there live. you name it.

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some critics question whether president obama has delivered. when he delivers a speech, there can be a distinct change in his style. brianna keilar taking a closer look for us. what are people noticing about the president and his speaking right now? >> reporter: wolf, you've probably noticed it. if you've paid close attention to president obama, it will probably register with you it changes how he talks, his inflection, the accent, sometimes he drops the gs on verbs. we put that to an expert who told us some people can't help themselves. even when they can, it's very small to tell your taylor how you speak to an audience fiery

and informal when addressing the congressional back caucus. cbc. god bless you and got bless the united states of america. or buttoned up in front of the united nations. >> true peace creates the opportunity that makes life worth living. >> reporter: depending on where president obama is and to whom he's speaking, you'll likely hear something a little different. even jay leno has poked fun at the president's oratory skills. >> when he speaks to a group, he becomes one of them. listen to him in mexico. >> [ inaudible ]. >> all kidding aside, an approach that serves an important person says dr. debra tan en. >> any communicator will try to

talk to the audience he's addressing at the moment. sometimes you have to change. >> isn't that sort of fakery to be authentic? >> isn't it fakery to be human? we're all aware of how we're coming across and trying to do it in a way that will be effective. >> reporter: perhaps that's why it was a former actor, president reagan. >> mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall. >> reporter: who who was lauded as the great communicator. another rhetorical device president obama uses, saying a phrase in a foreign language. this was at a dinner before a hispanic group. >> their platform apparently is. [ speaking in foreign language ] is that a bumper sticker you want on your car? >> reporter: last year he peppered his remarks in

indonesia. >> [ speaking in foreign language ]. >> president bush often threw in spanish when he spoke to the voters. >> because of the good heartedness. >> president kennedy's visit to germany in 1963 is remembered for this iconic phrase. >> speaking in foreign language ]. >> you could see metaphorically, i speak your language. from that flows, we're on the same wave length, i understand what you're going through. i'm one of you in a way. >> reporter: with the president's campaign coming up, and you could argue it's already upon us, he'll be speaking with a lot of different groups whose votes he's courting. dr. tannon says you have to be careful because sometimes it can backfire. there's a fine line between mimicry and mockery. as you know we've seen the president get into hot water with members of the congressional black caucus for

how he spoke to them recently. >> brianna keilar, thanks very much. happening now, republican candidates boycotting a presidential debate. it's one of the big twists in the 2012 campaign. i'll talk with republican presidential candidate newt ring gich this hour. plus am nan da knocks is spending her first full day back home in the united states. is she able to leave her italian prison ordeal behind her? yes have new details on what she's doing in seattle and how she's doing it. powerful new proof that even americans who have served in uniform have soured on war. stand by to hear how many decades say how a decade of xa combat wasn't worth it. we welcome our viewers around the united states and the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."

wall street protests going on now for the past few weeks, they are exploding. take a look at these pictures. thousands of people are outs on the streets in manhattan right now. crowds stretching for blocks and blocks, all of them expressing deep frustration over the u.s. economy. our national correspondents susan candiotti is on the scene for us near wall street. what's going on over there right now, susan? >> reporter: this is the culmination of what organizers have been talking about for several days, the big march coming together here in a city park in the wall street area up to foley square. not really sure whether we'll be hearing any speeches. for now they're marching shoulder to shoulder in that area. probably a few thousand people

get back here in the park where i am, other people are waiting because when they're through marching up to that square, they'll be coming back here to their main point. this is where they've been camped out for 19 days now, going on three weeks. they're trying to grow the movement. they hope by getting publicity through the social internet, more traditional media, that more people will be drawn to what they're calling a social movement, that they're angry about what's happening in the world of corporate greed and they want to effect change. they think they can do it by talking about the need for things to change and that is their expectation. they told us, wolf, today, they've been able to raise about $40,000 in donations and that they've been offered much more, but they're saying they're turning down the money because they don't want the movement to be about money and frying to raise it. instead they're asking for help in terms of goods and services

because they want staying power. they're looking for blankets and more food donations and that kind of thing that might be able to sustain them through the winter. wolf? >> it looks like it's a huge demonstration out there on the streets of wall street nearby in manhattan, susan. based on the reports i'm getting, it seems to be peaceful, at least as of now. is that what you're hearing? >> reporter: very much so. no con dpronations. there certainly have been in the past. for now there is none of that. the police are standing by. a lot of police power in the area. some people are saying there might be some incidents. others saying absolutely not. we or looking simply to show our numbers and show support for this movement. the other thing to keep in mind here is they're hoping by getting more support from unions and that's the key difference about this march today, a lot of unions are joining them to say we're behind you because we,

too, have suffered. there have been job cuts, union losses, health benefit losses and cuts to various social services. so they're lending their support this this movement in hopes, too, that it will grow. >> susan, we'll stay in close touch with you. a huge, huge demonstrations, the occupy wall stleet demonstration expanding dramatically on this day. we'll get back to you soon. other news we're following including political news. a republican presidential campaign detour into old drug charges and new allegations of unethical reporting. it's all part of the intrigue surrounding the boycott, yes, the boycott of a republican presidential debate proposed by the spanish language network uni vision. joe, a central figure in all of this isn't actually a presidential candidate but a popular united states senator, talking about marco rubio. >> that's absolutely right.

the first thing is the story about marco rubio's brother-in-law who got arrested in bag drug investigation in south florida in the 1980s. what's pretty much overtaken that story is an uproar among republicans about media tactics that they claim have crossed the lin line: it's a miami vice crime story that goes back to when rubio was 16 years old. his sister married a guy who got arrested by the police on a drug charge and rubio, who would one day become darling of the tea party had nothing to do with it at all. fast forward to this past july when univision found out about the arrest of rubio's brother-in-law so many years ago and put an investigative story on the air about it. that would have been the end of it except for one thing. friends of rubio told "the miami herald" newspaper that prior to

airing it, an executive from univision suggested the story might be altered or even dropped if rubio agreed to do an interview on univision which rubio supporters are calling an improper media quid pro quo. the herald says it printed the story about speaking with univision insiders and people in the know who corroborated claims that a top univision executive made the offer. >> first of all, we thought it was offensive and unacceptable for a national media organization like univision to try to secure an interview with united states senator marco rubio by exchanging some sort of agreement whereby they wouldn't air a report about a family member of his. we wanted to make sure there were consequences to those tactics utilized by univision. >> june vision categorically denies this. they say we did not make that offer in this case. we had various participants in

the call to senator rubio's office that included our principal internal attorneys. whatever the truth of it, the story has taken on a life of its own. congressman david rivera and others asked republicanal presidential candidates not to participate in a univision debate. anna navarro is a friend of rubios. >> what we want is a resolution to this issue. if preside the candidates don't want to be in this middle of this issue. >> those candidates saying they would not do a univision debate, romney, perry, huntsman, cain and now gingrich. republicans we talked to disagree over whether it's the tactics or the story itself that erks the most. some are demanding at the least an apology from univision. >> has senator rubio spoke tone the candidates about what they're saying, about why they

at least as of now don't want to participate in this univision debate. >> he was asked about that today here in washington, d.c. and he said there will be no shortage of opportunities for those individuals who are running for the republican nomination to have debates and get their message out. but he hasn't addressed this on television directly other than to confirm that in his view there was an offer made to him. >> joe johns, thanks very much for that report. let's get to rick perry's quest for a rebound right now. there's new word his campaign is rolling in some serious cash, even as polls show the one-time front-runner has lost a lot, a lot of ground. let's bring in our chief political analyst gloria borger. $17,000 raised in the last quarter. those are decent numbers. >> those are good numbers. when you talk to perry advisors,

they this shows we're here for the long haul. we have the money to prove it. they also made the point, by the way, and they're telling reporters this, that they hauled in more money after those debates in which he had bad performances than they did before and they're also making the point that half of the checks they're getting are from out of state. what we don't know is how much of the money is from out of state. we want to see how much of the money is actually from the state of texas. there is no other way to interpret this other than this is very, very good news for rick perry, he can stay in this race as long as he wants. >> the not-so-good news is he seems to have lost significant tea party support out there. it shows the tea party activists, they can go from hot to cold, too. >> well, they're shopping. they're shopping around, wolf. they're looking for the perfect candidate. what we seem to be seeing in these polls is they haven't really found the perfect

candidate yet. that's why the campaign of herman cain has risen and the campaign of rick perry has taken a slide. take a look at these t recent polls we have up now. if you look two weeks ago rick perry was at 30%. now less than half the support of tea party people. cain has tripled the support. romney, still unenthusiastic but up a bit. gingrich up a bit. bachmann has lost half of their support. they are fickle. they are looking for perfection. i was talking to one republican strategist today who said, look, if the tea party supporters actually got perfection, the candidate they found would probably not be able to get elected. the message from this strategist was don't look for perfection. stop it. >> perfection is good, but good is pretty good as well. can mitt romney really convince tea party activists that he's

their guy? >> he's clearly not their guy right now. they don't like him very much. that is a good question because it's hard to know. when you talk to the romney people, they say, look, we're not going to do anything different from what we're doing now. we're not going to make special appeals to tea party voters. you'll remember in 2008, wolf, romney was accused of flip-flopping because he made appeals to certain parts of the candidates, seemed to be changing his views. as one adviser said to me today, this is not the campaign it was four years ago. what's also interesting is i said, well, you're going to campaign on electability. that's the word we hear. and they said no. because electability is what you say when you're a moderate republican trying to appeal to conservatives. instead, they're going to talk about plausibility, that he is the plausible candidate who can be seen as president of the united states. >> i think chris christie's decision not to run has helped and will help mitt romney. that's my sense. >> you're right. >> gloria, thank you. check out the fund-raising

hauls of some of the other candidates. romney will report between $11 and $13 million over the last three months. ron paul's campaign says it pulled in more than $8 million during the same period. the candidates have until october 15th to release their third quarter fund-raising totals. the republican race is getting more interesting just in time for our next cnn debate. join cnn for the western republican presidential debate in las vegas. it will air live tuesday, october 18th, 8:00 p.m. eastern. later this hour i'll be speaking with republican presidential candidate newt gingrich. amanda flox's lawyer tells me she's doing remarkably well on her first full day back in the united states. we're going to seattle. new details on her homecoming. an important u.s. ally may have american blood on its hands. officials are growing more concerned about home made bombs in afghanistan and the country providing a key ingredient.

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take a good look at your bank statement because financial

institutions are busy talking on new fees just as fast as they can. bank of america has come under a lot of fire for a planned $5.00 monthly charge for debit card use. the only way to avoid the fee is to have a mortgage with the bank, keep a $20,000 minimum balance or use your deblt card only for atm transactions, otherwise, $5.00 a month. bank of america is not the only one. wells fargo is testing a $3.00 monthly fee in three states. jpmorgan chase announced a similar charge last year. the banks are blaming the new fees on wall street reform enacted after the bank bailouts, more specifically the so-called durbin amendment named after dick derbin of illinois. it limits banks to charging 21 cents per debit card transaction. they used to get 44 cents on average. the new rules expected to cost the banks about $5 billion a year. so naturally they're looking for

somewhere else to make up the money. what better place than to put their hand in your pocket. durbin himself says the debit card usage costs banks less than 12 cents per transaction. he says consumers ought to consider switching banks to where they'll be treated better because of fees like this. meanwhile, citibank which barbed bank of america on debit fees will soon be charging many customers monthly fees tore their checking accounts. one report is $15 a month, unless they maintain much higher balances. here is the question. would you leave your bank over new monthly fees for debit cards or checking accounts? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile. post a comment on my blog or go to our post on "the situation room's" facebook page. wolf? >> thank you. to seattle right now. amanda knox is getting used to life back home in the united states after almost four years behind the walls of an italian prison. since her return last night in

the united states she struggled with remembering to speak english instead of italian. she and her parents say they couldn't be happier right now and couldn't be more thankful. >> i'm really overwhelmed right now. i was looking down from the airplane, and it seemed like everything wasn't real. what's important for me to say is just thank you to everyone who has believed in me, whose defended me, who's supported my family. i just want -- my family is the most important thing to me right now. i just want to go and be with them. thank you for being there for me. >> all i can say again is thank you. it's because of the letters and the calls and amazing support that we received from people all over the world especially here in seattle that we've been able

to endure and we've been able to make sure amanda had the support she needed. >> let's go to seattle. drew griffin of cnn's special investigations is joining us. drew, a lot of happy people i'm sure in seattle. the enormity of what she's gone through is obviously going to hit her at some point. i assume her family is trying to get her used to what could happen in the media days and weeks ahead. >> reporter: really she became famous for not the right reasons, wolf. i think you could see it was a beautiful homecoming last night. but if you looked through it, you see this young lady who really is unprepared for the media onslaught that has developed around her these past four years. we have been reaching out to the family, trying to find out anything we can about amanda's first day. they have not responded in any way, shape or form. that is exactly what they told us would happen. the family has been incredibly gracious throughout this ordeal.

they said once they get her back home here, after she plax that short statement, we are going to go into seclusion and we are going to try to come to grips first with what happened to amanda knox, the four years she's spent in prison, and then take the next step of how do we move forward from here. she was in prison. that has got to be a big strain on her. now she's trying to get reaquainted with a family that really she's only had interaction with for about an hour a week for the last four years. >> it's really so sad when you think about four years of this young woman's life ripped away from her like this having to live in that ordeal and now she has to get readjusted. i'm very happy for her, for her family. i spoke with her american attorney, theodore simon as you know. he says she's going great. but my sense is she's got a lot of work ahead of her.

>> i think they don't know what lies ahead of her. that was the interesting interview from theodore simon talking about how strong she is. i was a little surprised she did come to the podium last night. we've seen from her release just in the courtroom in perugia how emotional that was for her. then the flight back overnight must have been draining just physically. but i think what the family wants to do is really evaluate -- this is almost like -- not akin to. i don't want to make this bigger than it is, but almost like coming back from war for a soldier. you have to really figure out what really did happen to amanda knox mentally in prison? is she physically able to handle this. >> probably a good reason for them to do that, a lot of loved ones near her. let's hope for the best for her and her family. drew, thanks very much for your reporting. republican presidential candidate herman cain is surging in the polls right now.

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we have other stories in "the situation room" right now, a growing tragedy in thailand. >> italian authorities say the death toll from months of severe flooding has risen to 207. remnants of a typhoon that killed dozens of people in the philippines over the weekend. jurors in the conrad murray

involuntary manslaughter trial heard a dramatic message michael jackson left on murray's phone six weeks before the singer's death. in slow and slurred speech jackson tells his personal physician why he loves children. >> i love them because i didn't have a childhood. i had no childhood. i feel their pain. i feel their hurt. >> murray is charged with giving jackson a fatal dose of the surgical anesthetic propofol. the defense saying jackson ingested propofol while murray was out of the room. congresswoman gabby giffords the traveling to washington today to attend her husband's retirement ceremony. u.s. navy captain an astronaut mark kelly retires from the military tomorrow. shortly after the ceremony giffords is scheduled to return

to houston where she's upped going rehabilitation. she was shot in the head by a gunman in january. she is making a remarkable recovery. everybody sending a lot of prayers her way. >> hoping for a full recovery at some point down the road. thanks very much. following her man cain's sudden rise in the rook presidential polls. i'll ask one of the other candidates, nut gingrich, why herman cain is suddenly resonating. stand by for my interview. at adt, we get financing from ge capital. but they also go beyond banking. we installed a ge fleet monitoring system.

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let's get back to that breaking news. a major turning point apparently in the on going protests on wall street. the crowds all of a sudden today have grown much larger, more diverse, all protesting economic conditions in the united states. look at some of these pictures we're getting in, these aerial shots right now. i want to bring in steve cass den obama of cnn radio right in the middle of that crowd. what are you seeing?

what's going on. >> you're absolutely correct in saying this is a much more diverse crowd than what we've seen over the last couple weeks. i'm noticing them starting to show solidarity, we're seeing people from all walks of life here, young and old, from every rung on the economic ladder, talking to folks rich and poor, in speaking with people who are families, retired people, lots of folks who brought their young children with them. and the common theme that we seem to be hearing here is that the system isn't working for the people anymore. >> steve we'll get back to you. obviously a new development, a shift, much bigger crowds in new york right now. it could certainly be a factor in the presidential race. joining us, the republican

presidential candidate, former speaker of the house, newt gingrich. thanks very much for coming in. what do you make on these demonstrations? some are suggesting this is the left wing's version of the tea party movement on the right? >> i think when you have over 9% unemployment, a failing presidency, the truth is with this level of failure, geithner should be fired as secretary of treasury, bernanke should be fired as chairman of the federal reserve. the dodd-frank bill should be repealed this week. we ought to have decisive action. if you're out there and you begin to figure out how the big banks get all these billions of dollars, somehow the federal reserve and the treasury collude on behalf of people who are already rich and nobody else gets a break. people need to understand, there's something profoundly wrong with how washington

intersects with new york and it means everybody else -- i'm here on hilton head talking to realtors who are feeling the effect of dodd-frank, feeling the effect of the housing decline, feeling the effect of all the money going to french national banks, to libyan national banks, somehow not enough money for normal everyday americans. you're going to see more protests. it's a tribute to the absolute failure of obama's economic policy. it's somebody who was elected by the left, now has the left rebelling and demonstrating and arguing against his policies. >> so do i get a little sense of you identifying with these protesters, these occupy wall street demonstrators who are so angry at the system right now, the banking system, the wall street system? >> look, i am as angry about the dodd-frank bill, about propping up big banks, about propping up big investment firms. i don't understand why goldman sachs got $13 billion of our money through the back door in

2008. i don't understand why the federal reserve has spent hundreds of billions of dollars of our money, at least $5 billion to the bank of libya. i think people have every right to be very, very angry. if we stay at 9% unemployment or it gets worse -- the rumors are it's going to be worse, not better. i think best thing is to say why can't you appeal dodd-frank now? why can't you get rid of geithner now? >> let's stick to herman cain, gave an interview to the "wall street journal." this is what he said when he was asked about these demonstration ps on wall street. >> i don't have facts to back this up, but i happen to believe that these demonstrations are planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the obama administration. don't blame wall street, don't blame the big banks. if you don't have a job and you

are not rich, blame yourself. >> that's already generating a lot of commotion out there. blame yourself if you don't have a job. is that a fair statement from herman cain? >> well, i do think there are a lot of people who ought to have a better approach to this. i propose that we tie unemployment compensation to a training program with businesses so we don't give people money for doing nothing. i think people have an obligation to try to work. when you have something on the order of 15% or 16% of the country unemployed, underemployed or dropped out of work, this is a genuine systems crisis. when you have 43% of all teenage african-americans with no job, this is a systems crisis. i think people have an obligation to do if best they can. i also think that a lot of the system is mismanaged, that the obama policies are killing jobs and that the guys on the inside,

the new york federal reserve network and the treasury network acted on behalf of the very rich and act against the average american. i think that is a legitimate complaint that all americans can make. we deserve to know where our money has gone and who got it and who didn't get it and why. >> you have to admit, and you refer to it yourself, the bailouts of the wall street banks and the investment houses back in 2008, that was during the republican administration of president bush. president obama had nothing to do with that. >> that's exactly -- the democratic congress had a lot to do with it. president obama voted for it, spoke in favor of it. tim geithner was a key part of it, bernanke was a key part of it, the same team the president has today. if you're a normal american, you're saying there's no change in washington. i don't know how the house republicans don't repeal the dodd-frank bill this week, send it to the senate and force the senate democrats to confront it.

this is a terrible bill. >> he was the one who proposed all these bailouts back in 2008. senator obama and others supported it. it was president bush and his treasury secretary that put it forward. >> his treasury secretary was from where, wolf? >> he was from wall street. >> what was the background of his treasury secretary? >> from wall street, goldman sachs. if you're a normal american -- >> it was republicans as well. >> i'm being bipartisan. i'm saying bernanke originally appointed by a republican ought to be fired. geithner who was president of the new york fed at the time ought to be fired. i'm happy to be bipartisan about this. i think the average american has a right to say they are not very happy with washington seeming to be locked down in paralysis and with new york somehow, if you're big enough, you get taken care of. if you're big enough, you get bailed out. if you're everybody else, good

luck. i think that's a real feeling. i'm reporting from south carolina where i talked to people just today who feel very deeply that nobody in washington notices what's happening to them, but they sure notice what's if you're big enough. >> let me get you to respond to one of your other rivals for the republican presidential nomination, ron paul. he very much opposed president obama's decision to order the killing of anwar awlaki, the al qaeda in the arabian peninsula leader there. listen to what ron paul said today. >> they asked me whether that was an impeachable offense, and it is. just ignoring the fifth amendment and assassinating an american citizen without due process, won't even tell us what the rules are. oh, but he's a threat. can you imagine being put on a list because you're a threat? >> are you with president obama on this issue or with ron paul on this issue? >> i wrote a newsletter today, i

write a weekly entitled newsletter entitled "obama gets one right." the fact is congressman paul is wrong about the law. he's wrong about the constitution. if you are an active enemy combatant, if you are actively advocating the killing of americans, and we did a movie where we have footage of anwar awlaki calling for the killing of americans. we know he was advertising the terrorist who killed 13 americans and wounded 33 at ft. hood. he wasn't in american courts. he wasn't in chicago or new york. he was running around yemen plotting the killing of americans. if you do that, you are an enemy combatant. if you're an enemy combatant, you're subject to military action. you're not subject to going to court. this is not a criminal procedure. this is a war. we have a long precedents for this. you're called a traitor. if he showed up and turned himself in, then we would have

owed him due process as an american scitizen. he has no defense he's actively trying to encourage the killing of americans. the president was exactly right legally and he was exactly right morally in killing sbod wloi was a threat to everybody. >> one final question, give me a yes or a no. if one of the other republican candidates gets the nomination and asks you to be the vice presidential running mate, is it a yes for you or a no? >> well, it wouldn't be a no. >> sounds like a yes. anything? all right. i'll leave it at that. it wouldn't be the first time that a candidate asked somebody with more experience, a little older, president bush asked dick cheney. president obama, as you know, asked joe biden. i wouldn't be surprised necessarily if somebody else gets the nomination. i know you want to get the nomination, they turn to you and say would you join me on the ticket. what i hear you saying is you're

open that. give me a yes or a no. >> ronald reagan once said he was very glad jerry ford did not ask him in '76 because he didn't see how a citizen could turn down a president in that setting. i think reagan had a lot of profound wisdom about that. >> mr. speaker, as usual, thanks very much. by the way, i heard your wife's new book is a "new york times" bestseller, a book on children. congratulations on that as well. >> we're very proud of calista, "sweet land of liberty" will premier on its first week on the new york time's bestseller list. >> thanks very much. hope to have you back soon. >> thank you. >> newt gingrich, republican presidential candidate. we're tracing the home meade ingredients of bombs. the number one killer of our troops in afghanistan. [ artis brown ] america is facing some tough challenges right now.

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new evidence tonight that u.s. military veterans have

second thoughts about going to war in iraq and afghanistan. our pentagon correspondents barbara starr has this report. >> reporter: ten years later, two wars, afghanistan and then iraq. more than 6,000 american service members lost their lives in wars costing more than $1 trillion. has the sacrifice been worth it? a new pew research poll says many americans say no. many say the war in afghanistan hasn't been with it, 41% say it has. as for the war in iraq, the polling found 57% of americans say it hasn't been worth it. 36% say it has. >> a majority of the public no longer supports these wars. a majority of the public is doubtful we'll have a clear victory, and in increasingly small share of the public is even paying attention to the wars. >> reporter: even a third of

iraq-afghanistan efforts now believe neither war has been with it. but iraq combat veteran tom tarantino says statistics don't show the real problems after a decade of war. >> i don't think it matters if 2%, 50% or 10 % say it's not worth it. that's largely irrelevant. the fact is we have 2.3 million combat veterans and we're still making new ones that need better services. they're coming home to an america that increasingly doesn't understand their service, their issues and the needs of their families. >> reporter: if there is good news, it's that 90% of americans still say they're proud of the troops. >> all i ask is that you continue to believe in them. continue to look for ways to reach out to them and to their families. >> reporter: while many americans, of course, say they admire the troops, about half of the americans answering in this survey said they would not want their son or daughter or someone

close to them to join the military. wolf? >> barbara, thanks very much, disturbing news there. we also have new information coming into "the situation room" that most of the improvised bombs or the ieds killing americans in afghanistan are made from material that's actually produced in pakistan. brian todd is here with more on this story. what's going on? >> u.s. officials frustrated this stuff is coming from pakistan in the first place. in their view pakistani officials have not acted with enough urgency to help remove the biggest threat to american troops in the region. sudden, concussive, lethal. ied attacks are the number one killer of u.s. troops in afghanistan, responsible for more than 400 deaths in the past two years. u.s. officials are growing increasingly upset over the course of the main ingredient in these home made bombs, an american ally. u.s. officials tell cnn the vast majority of ieds in afghanistan,

84% are made from fertilizer produced in pakistan. >> when you see an explosion that is one fraction of the real explosion that is how powerful and overwhelming it is, it gives you a sense of real frustration. >> reporter: senator robert casey was recently in the region and watched american troops demonstrate the force of ieds. casey has been leading u.s. efforts to stop the flow of calcium i'm moan yum nitrate into afghanistan. >> what can the pakistanis do, what are they doing to stop the material from getting in? >> they put in place a strategy. we need to see the strategy implemented. it's one thing to have a written plan, another thing to implement it where they can regulate the flow by making sure that they're tracking it. >> reporter: casey says the pakistani government simply isn't moving fast enough to more effectively track where calcium i'm moan yum nitrate goes. u.s. officials say most is

produced by two pakistani companies. part of the problem is it's a legitimate product blade for farmers on their crops. afghanistan doesn't make it, has banned it and tightened border security in an effort to get it out. >> a big part of the problem is this is a very porous border. >> extremely porous border. we've seen u.s. marp reen forces operating in helmand province, the ability to get it up across the helmand river valley to target u.s. marine forces in the south, also for u.s. army forces operating in eastern afghanistan, taking components through areas like the khyber pass and targeteding forces operating in eastern afghanistan. >> seth jones, a former adviser to u.s. special operations command in afghanistan. say the pakistan based ha canny network and other militants have gotten proficient at tracking that fertilizer into afghanistan. a pakistani official we spoke to disputed senator casey's

assertion that they're not moving fast enough. they say they're moving as fast as they can. ivity's difficult to track the small amounts placed in the ieds out of the huge amounts of fertilizer produced. he says it has to be a joint effort on both sides of the border. 500 pakistanis alone this year killed by ieds inside pakistan. >> a complicated story, but a deadly one. we'll continue to stay on top of it. jack cafferty coming up next with your e-mail. you say you can beat any advertised price on tires? correct. anywhere? yes. like this price? yes. riously? yes what about this one? i'll beat it. this one? s we will. right, i only have one more question for you...this one? (laughing) yeah. get $100 rebate when you buy four tires. 100 bucks! only at your ford dealer. 3 million tires. 11 major brands, fiona's kind-of-nice. i don't know why you're not here.

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right back to jackfor"the cafferty file." >> question this hour, would you leave your bank over new monthly fee for debit cards or for checking accounts? dave in phoenix, absolutely. as soon as wells fargo expands

their fee testing to arizona, i'm gone. i've been a loyal customer of a bank that they bought out for 20 years, i paid nothing but fees and demands, placed on my banking since they took over. one more little misstep and it's time to just move everything to the credit union which i also use. tom in texas, yes, banks use or money and pay no interest while charging 20% in some cases on credit cards. accounts where you must do all banking electronically or atm and now want us to pay to have access to our own money. hey, i need a bailout. a run on the bank is in order. tyler on facebook, already have, jack. i have four accounts with bank of america, and i'm in the process of closing all of them. if i stayed i'd be spending $240 a year to access my own money. it's absurd they think they can charge me my money to earn them interest.

i think i'll stuff it in my mattress. yes, the nerve of these institutions to snub their noses at us middle class americans after we bailed them out. maybe i'll make a trip to wall street next week. pam writes i belong to a credit on onsince 1978 and i have never paid any monthly fees for anything. isn't it interesting they can run a business at a profit without dipping into their customers' pocket. what does it say about the banks? plain old greed. david, i'm in the process of dumping city bank over new fees. i've been with them for almost 32 years. h writes, hell, yes, charge me, i'm gone, there's a bank on every corner. i've moved my money to my local credit union as of yesterday. too big to fail? make them smaller. if you want to read more, go to cnn.com/caffertyfile or through our post on "the situation room's" facebook page. >> jack, thank you. jeanne moos is coming up next.me with wahai ferry?

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this halloween could be a tough one for anthony weiner. cnn's jeanne moos explains. >> reporter: you may not recognize nimg latex, but here's a hint -- >> are you sexting? >> reporter: to think that the year's hot of the scandal, wiener gate a mere five months ago. >> it's amazing how fast thoen wiener fell. last halloween he was an up and coming star. this halloween, he's like a mask. remember the headlines as wiener finally confessed to sending lewd photos and messages to women he met on line. >> you would know if this is your underpants. >> i appreciate you considering to flash that at me. >> reporter: are you recommending these two go together? >> absolutely. >> reporter: ricky's in manhattan selling the $25 mask with accessories $20 pair of boxers that comes let's just say, overly well endowed.

sure, plenty of other halloween options, charlie sheen masks expected to be big. this is special. hyper flesh it's called, takes a week to make one ♪ i'm gonna be a winner >> reporter: land done meyer charges $25 a mask. he gave one to charlie sheen in exchange for tickets to charlie's roast. you can buy a casey anthony mask online though considered in bad taste that major mask companies steer clear. but if you decide to dress up -- >> this was a very dumb anything to do. >> reporter: -- as this disgracdisgrac disgraced politician better bring i.d. who am i? >> nixon. >> reporter: no. >> jay leno. >> romneyesque. >> reporter: does this help? >> no. >> i know. ed sullivan. >> reporter: whom am i? >> oath